AMAALA - Red Sea luxury with a kiwi touch — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

By Geoff Turnbull

AMAALA is the first global integrated family wellness destination, masterplanned and designed to evolve and elevate the very best in luxury travel. AMAALA is an exquisite, luxury destination located along the northwestern Red Sea coastline of Saudi Arabia, set to curate transformative personal journeys inspired by arts, wellness, and the purity of the Red Sea.

The 4,155-square kilometer destination features unique heritage and landscape, pristine ecosystems, and state-of-the-art facilities and an attractive year-long events calendar will make AMAALA a unique destination worldwide. Supported by world-class resorts, residential establishments, and recreational facilities, AMAALA incorporates an integrated approach to health and wellbeing and is centered around three key pillars: wellness and sports; arts and culture; and sun, sea and lifestyle.

Triple Bay District Masterplan – A world class wellness community nestled against the coastal hills of the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Natural Reserve

Inhabiting an unspoiled terrain within the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Natural Reserve, between the cities of Al Wajh and Duba, AMAALA will provide the ideal ethos for guests to shape their own wellness luxury experience. It will celebrate arts, culture, fashion, wellness, and sports, providing every guest a bespoke luxury lifestyle of their own choice. This spectacular setting will encompass unique districts such as Triple Bay, a world class wellness community; and The Island, an artists’ community, and hub of creativity. Geoff has represented AMAALA as the client representative Lead Masterplanner for both developments for the past 3+ years.

AMAALA’s coastlines have some of the finest coral reef systems in the Red Sea, and beyond. Collectively, the terrestrial and marine environments have underpinned all aspects of the masterplanning process, being carefully considered to ensure any impacts are mitigated and long-term sustainability of these living ecosystems has been integrally interwoven into their long-term preservation. Geoff has been at the forefront in developing stringent Development Control Regulations (DCRs), and Codes & Development Guidelines that govern the Design Process ensuring best international practices are met and/or exceeded and that the environment is maintained as the cornerstone of development.

At the intersection of fitness, mindfulness, and wellness, AMAALA will oﬀer a holistic well-being experience for guests aspiring to become the best versions of themselves. Whether through exceptional art, integrated wellness, healthy living, or meditation in a captivating natural setting, AMAALA will host transformational experiences that reflect and deliver on the values of today’s health-conscious consumers. AMAALA’s team of health and wellness specialists, including trainers, coaches, nutritionists, technicians, and hosts will ensure guests can thrive and be inspired in an engaging, supportive environment.

Triple Bay Marina Village and marine life institute in the lower left foreground and the Yacht Club anchoring the most urban precinct of the overall Triple Bay masterplan.

The destination will include nearly 3,000 hotel keys and more than 900 private residential villas, apartments, and estate homes, alongside 200 high-end retail establishments, fine dining, wellness, and recreational facilities.

In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, AMAALA will elevate the Kingdom’s hospitality sector and the role Saudis can play, as well as redefining the way luxury will be experienced in years to come. The project will set new standards for luxury, wellness, and sustainability, placing Saudi Arabia firmly on the international tourism map.

Taking inspiration from the Bedouin tribes who traditionally hold a deep respect for, and connection to, the ancestral lands and seas that sustain them, a commitment to world-class sustainability is an integral part of the brand promise.

Sustainability is a cornerstone of AMAALA, with an aim to operate with a zero-carbon footprint, powered by renewable energy with no connection to the national grid, and contribute to zero waste to landfill. The destination has more than 15 sustainability criteria, covering everything from the use of a full solar energy farm to waste management and recycling.

While AMAALA spans over 4,155 square kilometers (1,604 square miles) of unspoiled terrain within the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Natural Reserve, approximately just five percent of the greenfield site will be developed, with the remainder managed for conservation value. To further protect the ecosystem and preserve the area’s natural habitat, the yearly number of visitors to the resort will be capped at 500,000 to avoid over-tourism from the outset.

The destination’s extensive Sustainability Strategy will enable the destination and its guests to exist in complete harmony with the natural environment, while positioning AMAALA as a beacon for regional transformation, enabling economic diversification and sustainable job creation, delivering inclusive growth and positive legacy impacts.

At the heart of AMAALA is its partnership with Monaco Foundation to work on marine conservation, oceanographic and marine life research to benefit the world’s oceans with four opportunities identified for joint projects, including coral reef management, iconic species protection, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) enforcement, and fighting plastic pollution. Oceanographic and marine life research and conservation initiatives will be applied beyond the destination to cover the whole of Saudi Arabia’s waters and the world’s seas

Triple Bay’s Marina Village Precinct showing recent construction progress with the Super Yacht Marina over excavation, the associated cofferdam & Marina Life Institute sites all well underway.

Triple Bay Marina Village and marine life institute in the lower left foreground and the Yacht Club anchoring the most urban precinct of the overall Triple Bay masterplan.

Since AMAALA was announced at the Monaco Yacht Show 2018, the development has made swift progress through many of the administrative stages necessary for a project of this scale. The masterplan has been approved and the work is on track in collaboration with world-class suppliers and contractors to bring the vision to life. The first phase of development will welcome its first guests in 2024 and will consist of eight hotels and roughly 1,300 hotel keys. Once complete, AMAALA will be home to more than 3,000 hotel rooms across 25 hotels, and approximately 900 luxury residential villas, apartments, and estate homes, alongside high-end retail establishments, fine dining, wellness, and recreational facilities.

Geoff Turnbull graduated in 1992 from Lincoln University within the 1st Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (hons) program joining Frank Boffa in his Wellington Office for a 6-year period before leaving New Zealand in 1998 for a 10-year stint with SWA Group in Los Angeles, California before relocating to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2008 after the GFC. He directed the Urban & Masterplanning efforts of Yas Island for 7 years for ALDAR Properties PJSC (which now hosts the last inaugural Formula 1 race every year) before moving into a Senior Advisory role at the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s Executive Directors Office of Urban Development. In 2019, he relocated to AMAALA in Saudi Arabia, which has subsequently joined forces with the Red Sea Development Company where he is currently a Senior Director of Urban & Masterplanning within the Chief Development Officers Office of the Red Sea. Geoff manages a number of large complex developments within both AMAALA & the Red Sea’s Development Portfolios including Triple Bay.